Marvin Skrupskelis, a surly Jewish shoemaker in overalls, arrives unannounced at Isaac Moskovitz’s Philadelphia theater office. The secretary nearly turns him away, assuming he is a union man, but Isaac comes out personally and takes Marv for a drive to talk privately.

In the car, Marv explains he has learned damaging information about Pottstown power broker Gus Plitzka, who “runs everything” and is financially entangled with Philadelphia bail-bondsman Nig Rosen. Marv says Plitzka’s dairy and the town depend on water, yet Plitzka is effectively stealing water from the new reservoir while controlling the waterworks; if the state discovered it, Plitzka could lose control and face takeover. Marv’s idea is to use Plitzka’s vulnerability to pressure Doc Roberts into accountability for attacking Chona.

Isaac refuses the approach, arguing that exposing the water scheme would also expose the Chicken Hill shul’s own tapped well and threaten what Chona wanted preserved. Isaac insists that in America problems get solved quietly through deals, not public crusades, and he proposes a different trade: Isaac will get the shul’s water problem fixed “in the works” without implicating the temple, but Marv must help with a rescue.

Isaac tells Marv that Chona’s “colored boy” witness, Dodo, is in Pennhurst, and a freight train regularly delivers supplies there. Isaac needs two Jewish union railroad men to be working on that train so they can snatch Dodo when he is brought out to the delivery area and get him onto the train; Isaac will handle everything after that. Marv agrees he can recruit trustworthy railroad Jews for free, paying them in principles and practical help—his shoemaking—because union men will not accept cash bribes but will honor work done for a cause.

With the deal set, Isaac instructs Marv to be ready when Isaac sends word about the train, and he asks Marv to come to Isaac’s house next time to avoid his talkative secretary. Marv leaves with the understanding that Plitzka will be left alone for now, while the focus shifts to extracting Dodo from Pennhurst.